This guide suggests to install the [http://sourceforge.net/projects/blstools/ blstools] instead, a small set of utilities developed for this hardware and enable some operations which would not be possible from a plain Debian install:

−

* USB support will be missing // '''solved as 12.Nov.09 , see Posting of Xarks: [http://forum.buffalo.nas-central.org/viewtopic.php?p=133673#p133673]'''

+

* turn the unit off from the on-off-auto switch

−

* power led will keep flashing // provided a method to stop led flashing

+

* turn unit blinking LEDs to still blue when boot is complete

−

* system power down will not work

+

* resume blinking when the unit is shutting down

−

+

* use the USB port

−

I'm still working on this. Note that micro_evtd will NOT work on the LinkStation.

+

+

Please note that the Armel Debian "micro_evtd" package will NOT work on LS-CHLv2 and LS-XHL because of different hardware.

Line 29:

Line 29:

You are supposed to start from an "open" Stock Firmware, that is stock software that you can telnet to,

You are supposed to start from an "open" Stock Firmware, that is stock software that you can telnet to,

−

Follow [[Open_Stock_Firmware|this guide]] to get telnet root console access to the LS.

+

Follow [[Open_Stock_Firmware_LS-XHL|this guide]] to get telnet root console access to the LS.

As told above, blstools are a set of utilities which enable LS-CHL/XHL hardware-specific features otherwise unavailable from a plain Debian Lenny installation.

+

+

In order to install blstools you have to download the package from [http://sourceforge.net/projects/blstools/ the blstools project page], put it on the LS and run, from the command line:

+

+

tar zxf blstools-0.1.0.tar.gz

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cd blstools-0.1.0

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sudo ./install.sh

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sudo reboot

+

+

The following features are installed:

+

+

==lsmonitor (/etc/init.d/lsmonitor)==

+

+

This is a daemon that is automatically started when the system boots. You don't need

+

to call it directly.

+

+

lsmonitor stops the blue led from flashing and provides a reassuring, still blue

+

light. Also, when you move the switch in "off" position lsmonitor initiates system

+

shutdown (which is nice isn't it?)

+

+

==usb (/etc/init.d/usb)==

+

+

Powers on and off the USB interface.

+

+

When you want to connect a USB disk to the Linkstation you should first call:

+

+

sudo /etc/init.d/usb start

+

+

and then you will be able to mount the USB drive to the desired location (generally,

+

the device will be /dev/sdb1). Once done, in order to save power you can unmount

+

the mounted volume and issue:

+

+

sudo /etc/init.d/usb stop

+

+

to disable the USB device.

+

=References=

=References=

Revision as of 02:27, 18 July 2010

This guide will explain how to install Debian GNU/Linux "Lenny" on the Linkstation Live LS-CHL (=LS) using the Debian "debootstrap" procedure. The original kernel will be preserved, as well as the original bootloader (U-Boot).

Basic idea:

create a Debian system with debootstrap

replace the old filesystem with the new one

This guide will ask to open up the device case, reformat partitions, delete existing data, etc. All of these actions may void your warranty, destroy your data, etc. In general you can receive help from the community of from the Buffalo forums but bear in mind that every problem you may encounter is ultimately up to you to solve. You do it at your own risk.

This guide worked on LS-CHLv2 and LS-XHL.

This guide suggests to install the blstools instead, a small set of utilities developed for this hardware and enable some operations which would not be possible from a plain Debian install:

turn the unit off from the on-off-auto switch

turn unit blinking LEDs to still blue when boot is complete

resume blinking when the unit is shutting down

use the USB port

Please note that the Armel Debian "micro_evtd" package will NOT work on LS-CHLv2 and LS-XHL because of different hardware.

Backup the LS

If you have any important data on the LS you definitely need to make a backup.

Even if you don't, you'd better take a snapshot of the vital disk partitions (first and second partition). So you will be able to easily revert to the original stock distribution. [forum post] explains how to do it.

Prepare a Debian Lenny root filesystem

Debootstrap

This is derived from original debootstrap docs.

From the linkstation console download the Debian debootstrap utility and install it with dpkg:

This step WILL take time. At the end you should get the following message:

I: Base system installed successfully.

Completing the debootstrap and preparing the rootfs

Most commands will be run in the chrooted environment of the newly created Debian Lenny install. In order to enter the chroot type

LANG=C chroot debian-armel-rootfs/ /bin/bash

to leave type exit.

Copy kernel modules from stock kernel

Kernel modules reside in /lib/modules/<kernel version>. Here we are using the stock kernel so we must copy them from the stock initrd to the new rootfs. This must be done from within a chrooted environment in the new system - won't work with stock software.

Installing an empty initrd

Must make an empty initrd in LS' boot partition. Otherwise the stock initrd will start and runs scripts to check for a stock setup. Indeed an initrd is not needed in this Lenny installation as everything can be found on the root filesystem.

"empty initrd" means an initrd with no filesystem. It is not an empty file.

For this you need the mkimage command. (in Debian/Ubuntu just install the package uboot-mkimage).